NEWS


PlasticsEurope sets position on ‘mass balance’ claims


PlasticsEurope, the trade body representing the interests of plastics manu- facturers in Europe, has published a position statement covering recycled content and other sustainability claims associ- ated with mass balance. Mass balance refers to


the process of allocating — or attributing — an input material to an end product. It is essential in the develop- ment of chemical recycling, where recovered material inputs and production processes are much more complex than those used in physical or mechanical recycling. However, while the mass balance principle is clear its practical imple- mentation is not currently regulated.


In its new position


statement, PlasticsEurope says: “Names and claims of products with characteristics attributed through a mass-balance approach should be distinct from


those of products in which the physical nature of these characteristics can be ensured through a segre- gated production process [physical or mechanical recycling]. This will avoid creating any confusion or misleading impression as to


the actual physical presence of recycled or bio-based content in the end product.” The position statement goes on to recommend that products or plastics result- ing from the application of a mass-balance approach be distinguished by the use of


terminology such as recycled-attributed, bio- attributed or CCU-attributed (Carbon Capture and Utilisation), while products with physical presence of these characteristics are called recycled, bio-based or CCU-based products.


US EPA holds back on pyrolysis change


The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last month it has withdrawn a proposed revision to the definition of municipal waste combustion (MWC) units in the Clean Air Act that would have removed pyrolysis combustion units, potentially simplifying regulatory compli- ance of plastics chemical recycling operations. Since 2005, EPA regulations have


considered pyrolysis/combustion units (comprised of two chamber incinerators with a starved air primary chamber followed by an afterburner) as Other Solid Waste Incineration (OSWI) units under the Clean Air Act. The agency proposed removing the reference in 2020 “as a result of recent market trends, especially with


respect to the increased processing of waste plastics.” The EPA said in its Federal Register


statement that it needs more time and personnel resources to analyse and evaluate the information required to gain a technical and regulatory understanding of the pyrolysis process. “The EPA action had not changed how advanced recycling facilities are stringently regulated at multiple levels and under many laws, including the Clean Air Act,” said Craig Cookson, Senior Director for Plastics Sustainability at the American Chemistry Council. “The ACC will continue to engage the EPA and provide science- backed information on advanced recycling facilities.”


New German PS mechanical recycling plant


Ineos Styrolution has teamed up with sorting technology group Tomra and recycling company EGN in a project for a German facility to recycle PS waste into material suitable for food packag- ing applications. EGN, a subsidiary of multi-service


provider SWK, will build a greenfield mechanical recycling facility able to process 40,000 tpa of post-consumer PS in Krefeld, Germany, which will include sorting and washing. Ineos Styrolution will be responsible for the


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‘super-cleaning’ purification process to comply with the European Food Safety Authority requirements for food contact applications. Tomra is to provide sorting technology and feedstock, which it will collect from disposed food packaging. Start-up is expected in mid-2025. Pierre Vincent, Managing Director,


EGN, said: “I expect the dairy industry to especially benefit from this new offering by allowing them to mechani- cally recycle from yoghurt pot to


PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | July/August 2023


yoghurt pot creating a true circular economy.” Jürgen Priesters, Managing Director


Tomra Feedstock, said: “We are proud to contribute to this first commercial- scale polystyrene mechanical recycling facility for food contact applications. Polystyrene has the right composition to be recycled mechanically for food applications.” � www.ineos-styrolution.com � www.entsorgung-niederrhein.de � www.tomra.com


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


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